The Eight Rules of Manufacturing for Composite Project

1) Choose the resin to meet your environmental concerns. What chemical reactions will the materials be required to withstand? Will the materials get wet? FRP projects typically are best for materials in a moderate environment, while advanced composites can withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures. Know how your final product will be used, and choose your resins accordingly.

2) Choose the best fiber to meet the physical requirements. The four primary types of fibers are fiberglass, carbon fiber/graphite, organic fibers and aramids. Select fibers for properties such as tensile, flexural and compressive strength. While there is a wide variety of fiberglass options, manufacturers often turn to electrical glass (or “e-glass”) because of its properties and low cost.

3) Control the resin/fiber content. The more fiber used, the stronger the part – until there’s not enough resin to fully coat every single fiber. Because the coating process, or “wet out,” can be difficult, many companies choose to buy pre-impregnated fibers. However, said FRP projects tend to not use prepregs; they are typically used for advanced composite projects.

4) Put the fibers where the loads will be. The manufacturing process must be capable of properly orienting the fibers in the thicknesses needed for load optimization. The fibers can be isotropic, with material properties the same in all directions. The properties of orthotropic materials are different in three mutually perpendicular directions, so their mechanical properties are related to orientation. Most composites, especially advanced composites, are orthotropic. Aerospace applications often use oriented laminar. Each fiber is carefully oriented in different directions to maximize the load-bearing capacity in any given part of the product.

5) Control the temperature, viscosity and cross-linking reactions. Keep control over how the resin behaves and how thick it is by controlling the temperature during the curing cycle.

6) Choose manufacturing processes to maximize properties appropriate for the application and to minimize cost. Some processes have less control over the orientation of fibers than others, which may mean sacrificing using a process that lays down material layers quickly.

7) Compact the composite during cure to ensure the layers are properly adhering and air bubbles are reduced. 90 percent of composite failures are because this step was not carried out properly.

8) Properly finish the structure. Composites may need to be shaved down, cut or bonded to another piece for finishing, and engineers must consider this when designing parts. Using bonding parts as an example, carbon fiber and aluminum do not bond well together and will lead to corrosion.

 

Purchasing Fiberglass Chopped Strand Mat, please focus on Sichuan Sincere & Long-term Complex Material Co., Ltd, and contact email: fred@chinaweibo.com.cn or chat on Skype: fred.wei08